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Original poster

Gallbladder: 3 weeks till the little fecker comes out but how to cope till then. Hurts!

34 replies

BambinoBoo · 28/10/2011 13:40

Arrrrrrrgh! I am pretty much surviving on rice cakes but the full on attacks have been replaced by trapped wind which is so bloody painful. I haven't been able to pass wind or have a No 2 for 3 days - probably not helped by the fact that I can't eat much. Out of desperation, I took a laxative last night. Nothing.

How did you cope in the final weeks before the op? I never thought I'd actually be looking forward to it, but am now.

Many thanks.

OP posts:
gailforce1 · 28/10/2011 21:43

The best advice I was given was by my consultant's secretary! You can eat anything that has zero fat in it. I ate loads of fruit and veg and read the ingredient list on everything. Beware of meat - lamb was my undoing and brought on the worst attack I had!
Drink plenty of water and look forward to your op... I was a new woman just 3 days after. And to cheer you up my consultant said "a little of what you fancy" in reply to my question about what I could eat in the future!
Good Luck.

janechocchip · 28/10/2011 21:43

Hope you are drinking plenty. I did not have the op in the end and symptoms have eventually diminished after a number of years. I ate a very low fat diet, no butter, no cheese for a long time. Small quantities of boiled rice, vegetables, fruit and yoghurt were best tolerated... It was buttered crumpets that set my gallstones off initially!

janechocchip · 28/10/2011 21:45

xpost! yes lamb and pork were no nos for me too.

janechocchip · 28/10/2011 21:49

Porridge made with oats in the microwave was also good and has plenty of fibre!

gailforce1 · 29/10/2011 18:18

Oh yes and drink peppermint tea and take peppermint tablets for the wind problem!

How are you feeling today?

MoreBeta · 29/10/2011 18:24

Zero fat, zero alcohol, tiny meals spread regularly through the day.

If it get really bad, get down A&E without delay.

neversaydie · 29/10/2011 19:20

I found that white rice, chicken breast and vegetables (steamed and mixed together) were reasonably safe. I ate this for about 6 weeks before my op - it was very boring!

White fish was OK, although salmon, shellfish and smoked fish were not.

Tea was OK, coffee was most definately not! Sparkling mineral water helped.

Like Gailforce, I felt instantly better after the operation, and have been abloe to eat most things since.

Original poster
BambinoBoo · 29/10/2011 20:25

Thanks everyone. Sorry I hadn't replied sooner, spent most of the day in bed. Took a co codomol last night which at least gave me some sleep and woke up feeling quite well. Decided to venture out and had a ham sandwich which I threw up half hour later. The worst bit was that DH was driving at the time so was sick in my bag. Class.

OP posts:
NinthWave · 29/10/2011 20:29

Absolutely zero fat, as others have said. This included butter/mayo in sandwiches or prepared salads, and anything fried in oil. No dressings on anything, no dairy and no red meat.

I took a LOT of Tramadol, and lost over two stone in 10 weeks. Had mine out in October 2008, SUCH a relief! I can eat normally now but not too much fat - melted cheese and creamy curry gives me hideous stomach cramps if I eat too much.

janechocchip · 30/10/2011 09:34

Hope you get on better today.

Shutupanddrive · 31/10/2011 18:53

I know how you feel op, had mine out a few weeks ago. Have you got painkillers for when you have the attacks? My GP gave me buscopan and codeine. Pastry was a big no-no for me, set me off every time.
Hope you feel better soon

mathanxiety · 01/11/2011 01:16

Everything everyone else has said. Eat fruits and veg, porridge and other grains, preferable high fibre. Drink plenty with the nigh fibre though or you will end up all bunged up. No butter or even Flora -- avoid fats completely, including chocolate. I would even steer clear of nuts.

You are going to love Christmas so much this year.

Original poster
BambinoBoo · 01/11/2011 15:49

mathanxiety Will I be well enough to stuff my face at Christmas? Grin

Just went to the docs actually as my wee is orange and despite drinking loads of water it only really settles into a bright neon yellow. Bit like Homer Simpson. She tested it there and then and there is bile in it, but I'm not jaundice at all so she said to carry on doing what I'm doing - plenty of water, fruit and veg. Although the veg bungs me up so I'm sticking with the fruit. I can't seem to eat anything hot at the moment but I did manage a cold turkey and pickle sandwich last night - no butter or any fat on turkey of course - and it was sheer heaven.

OP posts:
Original poster
BambinoBoo · 01/11/2011 15:51

shutupanddrive How do you feel now? Have you recovered?
I do have codiene and tranadol (the latter of which I'm saving in case I get another full blown flare up), but I take a codeine before bed as it seems to settle me for the night. I also have a peppermint oil tablet too. Always gets worse at night doesn't it.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 01/11/2011 17:48

Please be careful about the codeine at night as it is habit forming even if you've only been taking it for as little as two weeks.

Original poster
BambinoBoo · 01/11/2011 18:07

Despite seeing the doc today, I stupidly googled bile in urine and a whole host of stuff came up including liver failure. Blimey.

OP posts:
Shutupanddrive · 01/11/2011 18:09

Hi I feel so much better now! It was sore afterwards for a few days but heals quickly. I had my op on a tues and by Sunday I was driving and putting kids in their car seats and lifting ds2 in and out of his cot. The anesthetic knocked it out of me more than anything. Felt really tired and woozy for few days.

I can eat anything I like now, which is not so great as I've put weight on! Good luck with your op, I'm sure you will be fine Smile

mathanxiety · 01/11/2011 19:49

If you've been having a codeine every night that may be the culprit for the urine.

Once the GB is gone you will feel better almost immediately (after the post op pain is gone). The psychological weight of fearing an attack disappears too.

Pleiades45 · 02/11/2011 11:56

I had my gallbladder removed 4 weeks ago. I had to wait 10 days between diagnosis and removal not long I know but it certainly seemed it. Zero fat as people said. I found Lucozade a life saver, I think it helped with the no2s. i drank lots of water. I basically lived on baked potatoes with a sparing amount of baked beans. If you can eat bread, irish soda bread is a very good fibre intake. I found just nibbling rather than sitting down to a meal the best option.

4 weeks after surgery and I'm having to watch what I eat. I can eat anything but foods with high fat content go right through me and cause me to feel nauseous. I'm hoping this will settle

Pleiades45 · 02/11/2011 11:58

Oh, forgot to add. My urine was a horrible colour too and I was told it was because one of my stones was stuck in the bile duct.

Original poster
BambinoBoo · 02/11/2011 17:45

Pleiades45 Did the fact that your urine was dark and that you had a stone stuck give them cause for concern. From what I've read - okay, googled - it's pretty serious, but my doc just confirmed there was bile in my urine and not to worry unless I turned yellow.

I'm with you on the lucozade. I need it for the energy more than anything I think.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 02/11/2011 18:18

A stuck stone results in godawful pain. My op lasted a lot longer than predicted because of one in my bile duct that they hadn't seen on the ultrasound. I don't remember much about my urine situation.

Pleiades45 · 02/11/2011 18:54

I had never suffered with my gallbladder until 6 weeks ago! The pain was unbearable and I thought it was just trapped wind. The stone was found on the ultrasound and yes it was a cause for concern, that's why I only waited 10 days for my op, just enough time for some antibiotics to reduce inflammation.

Just to say, there was discussion of removing this by ERCP but my file reached a consultant who came to see me and talked me out of this. Apparently this technique involves a cut which is not repaired and being a young woman over 40 (LOL) the implications of having a cut were not known.

He did the whole procedure by keyhole surgery, I went to theatre at 3.15pm at returned to the ward at 7.30pm.

To be honest, I didn't have time to worry, it all happened so fast. It's only now that I'm getting my head around what I've been doing for the last 6 weeks.

Original poster
BambinoBoo · 02/11/2011 19:19

Pleiades45 you poor thing. It's so odd isn't it, it really does feel like the worst trapped wind ever; like you might explode. I don't think I have a stone stuck as I'm not in pain at all at the moment and as long as I keep to zero fat, I shouldn't get any flare ups. 2 weeks today to the op. Yippee!! Well, dull as ditchwater food, but hey.

OP posts:
spandau1980 · 02/11/2011 19:43

DONT HAVE IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Dear All, im hoping for some answers and support as i m at my wits end as a single mum and in so much misery!
Basically i had my gallbladder out 5 weeks tomorrow, i have had since i woke up right sided pain in my breast area and in my back and shoulder blades. 2 weeks after my op i had an "attack" of some sort as never had full blown gb attck(mine was infected) i assumed it was acid.. it went on for 4 hours then since then ive had what i thought was acid reflux? so took pantoprazole to no avail... i have pain right ALL the time and increases if i eat, i also hav a pain in the centre of my sternum area.. luckily no Heartburn which is odd... anyone have these..docs at a loss, pain is so bad in shoulder some times i cry and pain relief doesnt help... scheduled for endoscopy soon... PLEASE any one had these sympoms and found an answer or resolved in time! I WAS TOLD ID BE BETTER OFF POST OP BUT IM TEN TIMES WORSE OFF AS NOW IN PAIN 24/7 OH and i have stomach ache alot and bloating, no diarreah (sp) and feel like ive not eaten for 6 months each morning my stomach hurts so badly... im so deperate for answers and advice.. DOCTORS are USELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!